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Friday, May 31, 2013

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey just set a dangerous
precedent with its decision regarding the trade of Ryan Tesink from the Saint
John Sea Dogs to the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada.

The press release – a poorly worded one everyone now
comes to expect from the Q – states, “To this point, the undersigned is of the
opinion that the Saint John Sea Dogs’ integrity cannot be questioned.” (This
must come as a shock to Martin Mondou and the owner formerly known as Leo-Guy
Morrisette, but I digress.)

That statement absolved the Sea Dogs from any wrong doing
in this matter and acknowledges the team acted in good faith in making the deal
that sent Tesink to the Armada in exchange for a first-round pick.

It’s everything that comes after this statement where the
league falls apart. Instead of standing by that statement, the Q decides to
placate everyone and give the Armada the fifth overall draft pick in 2014.

This makes no sense. The Armada traded for a player who
missed a portion of the previous season with a knee injury. He played a few
games for the Armada after the trade before getting injured again. He would
eventually return and suit up in the playoffs. Basically, QMJHL commissioner
Gilles Courteau is giving the Armada a top five draft pick because one of their
players got injured.

Now, the official reasoning is, “Declaration for trade
purposes (form) might leave room for interpretation and should, in the opinion
of the Commissioner, be the object of a revision and even eventually bring the
League to introduce a new by-law provision specifically pertaining to the
obligation of disclosure.”

All you need to know as a general manager in the Q is if
you trade for a player and he gets injured, you can file a complaint and
receive a high draft pick for your troubles. This takes away all risk
associated with making a trade – something all GMs would love – but makes no
sense.

Once again, the league and commissioner failed to take a
definitive stand on an issue and in doing so, provides every team in the league
with a get out of jail free card if they make a bad trade. The decision
mentions the league should review the form that caused this problem and “even
eventually bring in a bylaw.”

Given this trade was made in January and the issue not
resolved until May, you can expect the revision or bylaw to be completed in
2025.

NAME CHANGE

Earlier this week I heard a CBC report asking people in
Halifax if the QMJHL should change its name to reflect the fact it contains
Maritime teams as well. Most people had no problem with the league name
remaining the same, but here’s a compromise.

The league’s acronym is QMJHL. It could retain the same
acronym while changing its official name to the Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey
League. All it’s doing is swapping out Major for Maritime.

The trade that took place on January 2, 2013 between the
Saint John Sea Dogs and the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada remains in effect, so
that the rights to player Ryan Tesink still belong to the Blainville-Boisbriand
Armada and that the Saint John Sea Dogs keep the first (1st) round draft pick
(3rd ranked choice) received in this trade

The Blainville-Boisbriand Armada receives, as
compensation for the hereinabove mentioned reasons, a first (1st) round draft
pick (5th rank choice added by the League), at the QJMHL annual draft to be
held in June 2014, subject to the following

In the event that the rights to player Ryan Tesink traded
or transferred, the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada will then receive, instead of
a fifth (5th) rank choice in the first (1st) round of the annual draft, an
additional nineteenth (19th) rank choice added by the League, after the end of
the first round of selection but before the beginning of the second (2nd) round
of said annual draft of June 2014.

What… what is even happening here.

This is a bizarre decision, in my opinion, and I don’t
think you’d see this happening in other leagues. Enjoy your free first-round pick, Armada.

The good news, though, is that
the Sea Dogs don’t lose any of their draft picks.

"The Sea Dogs are satisfied with the league's
decision," Sea Dogs President Wayne Long said in a release. "We are
now looking forward to putting this behind us and focusing on next week's
draft."

Effective immediately the ownership group of the Sarnia
Sting has relieved Jacques Beaulieu of his duties as General Manager and Head
Coach. The reasons for his dismissal are not related to the on ice performance
of our hockey club. As per the advice of our lawyers we cannot comment any
further at this time.

The Sting had a 35-28-1-4 record this past season and
were eliminated in the first-round of the OHL playoffs. He was 69-55-12 in two
seasons with the club.

February 18 – The hearing takes place. Andrew McGilligan
wrote an excellent column. Later in the day, the league posts a brief, 40-word message on their website: “Following a meeting today concerning the case of the Ryan
Tesink trade, the Saint John Sea Dogs, Blainville-Boisbriand Armada and Quebec
Major Junior Hockey League will not comment any further. The Commissioner will
submit his decision following a review process.”

February 26 – Sportsnet’s Sam Cosentino writes in his column that “the QMJHL implemented new trade procedures this season, and that
was before the Ryan Tesink deal.” What does that mean? We’re still not entirely
sure.

March 4 – I buy a pack of Heroes and Prospects hockey
cards and pull a Tesink card. Was it a sign? No, no it wasn’t.

That’s the day the Saint John Sea Dogs sent out a press
release indicating they had “been summoned to a hearing to discuss the deal
that sent Ryan Tesink to the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada in exchange for the
Sea Dogs’ own 2013 1st-round pick.”

The hearing took place and then we all waited for the result. And
waited. But then it looked like it would end! But it didn’t. So we waited some
more!

But tomorrow, on May 30, 2013, it looks like it will
finally come to an end. Both La Presse and TVA Sports report that the Quebec
Major Junior Hockey League will announce their decision.

What will the decision be? The removal of a Saint John
draft pick(s)? A fine? Nothing it all? It’s anybody’s guess.

If you are unfamiliar with what’s gone one here, the Sea Dogs
traded Tesink to the Armada on January 2nd in exchange for their own
2013 first-round pick. The 19-year old
played in six games with Blainville-Boisbriand before being sidelined with a
knee injury. He didn’t return to action until April 19th.

The Armada believed the Sea Dogs were aware of the injury
prior to making the deal, and that is where the controversy comes from.

So hopefully this finally comes to end tomorrow. The
QMJHL Entry Draft is on June 8 and it would be great to have this settled well before
then.

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

As Russian Machine Never Breaks breaks down, Galiev has
now won league championships in each of his past three seasons thanks to
back-to-back QMJHL titles with Saint John and an ECHL title with the Reading
Royals this season.

Galiev also won a USHL title with the Indiana Ice in 2009
before joining the Sea Dogs and came within two wins of a 2010 QMJHL
Championship.

The Russian forward, playing in his first pro season,
only played in Game 5 of the Kelly Cup Final due to injury.

“It’s something special for me because the coach trusts
me,” he told The Sports Lair. It’s a Game 5. I was a little injured and wasn’t
100-percent. My foot still hurts a little bit, but it was nice to forget
everything out there and help my team get the Cup.”

Galiev had 23 goals and 24 assists in 64 regular season
ECHL games and added four goals and seven assists in 10 post-season contests.

The newspaper reports that the team has “given notice to
the league that the team is now in the process of seeking another venue for the
2013-2014 junior A hockey season. The reason behind the move is a breakdown in
negotiations between the city and management and owners of the team.”

The jerseys were not unveiled today, but The Guardian
also reports that they “will be revealed at an event sponsored by the team on
June 15, although glimpses should be available when the team selects its picks
at the 2013 QMJHL draft June 8 in Chicoutimi, Que.”

The logo is good, but the colour is a little bland. Maybe
the jersey will make it pop. Either way, I like it more than anything PEI
Rocket related.

New members of the team’s new ownership group were also
announced today. Exciting times on PEI.

The Mooseheads won their first national championship with
a very entertaining 6-4 victory over the Portland Winterhawks on Sunday night
in Saskatoon.

The win keeps the Memorial Cup in the Quebec Major Junior
Hockey League for a third straight year. It’s also just the second time a team
from Atlantic Canada has won the historic trophy following the Saint John Sea
Dogs’ win in 2011.

There are a few Sea Dogs connections on this year’s
Mooseheads. Most notably is forward Stephen MacAulay who capped off one of the
greatest junior hockey careers ever. MacAulay became the first player to ever
play in four President Finals, win three President Cups, and win two Memorial
Cups in his career.

Mooseheads assistant general manager Bob ‘Tipper’ Leblanc,
a former Sea Dogs GM, and assistant coach Jim Midgley, a former Dogs assistant,
are the other connections.

Nathan MacKinnon had a hat trick and two assists in the
game. Konrad Abeltshauser had two goals and Martin Frk one. Jonathan Drouin had
five assists. Zach Fucale made 40 stops in the victory.

The game itself was a good one. As usual, it didn’t start
until 8:30 Atlantic time due to Sportsnet’s “analysis” and the pre-game stuff
at the rink. After a successfully sung American and Canadian national anthem,
the game began.

The Mooseheads led 3-0 after one thanks to goals from
Abeltshauser, MacKinnon and Frk. But Portland stormed back in the second period
with Nicolas Petan and Seth Jones scoring. The ‘Hawks, who also had a goal
disallowed in the frame, outshot the Moose 18-6 in the middle stanza.

After the annual "Shoot for a Million" thing and an
incredibly long intermission, the third period started. MacKinnon scored a huge
goal at 7:36 to make it 4-2 Moose. Abeltshauser scored his second at 11:11 to
make it 5-2. But Portland would come back and it was a one-goal game heading
into the final minute. MacKinnon would seal the deal at 19:37 with an empty
netter.

MacKinnon finished the tournament with seven goals and
six assists in four games. He was named tournament MVP.

What a year for the Mooseheads. Without question one of the best seasons this league has ever seen.

And so ends the 2012-13 Canadian Hockey League season. Is
it September yet?

Sunday, May 26, 2013

The Halifax Mooseheads look to become the second Maritime team to win the MasterCard Memorial Cup tonight.

The Mooseheads take on the Portland Winterhawks in the
Memorial Cup Championship Game tonight at 8pm on Sportsnet. The Quebec Major
Junior Hockey League champs defeated the Western Hockey League champs 7-4
earlier in the tournament.

The 2011 Saint John Sea Dogs are the only previous team
from Atlantic Canada to win the historic trophy. Halifax will look to join the
Sea Dogs in that exclusive club and also bring the Memorial Cup to the QMJHL
for a third consecutive year.

There are a ton of comparisons between this year’s
Mooseheads and the 2011 Sea Dogs. Like Saint John did two years, Halifax got
the bye straight through to the final and has had several days to prepare for this
game.

The biggest connection between the Dogs and Moose is Stephen MacAulay who was part of the 2011 Saint John squad. MacAulay, playing
in the final game of his unreal junior career, will look to become the first
player to ever appear in four President Cup finals, win three President Cups,
and win two Memorial Cups.

So that’s that. Good luck, Mooseheads.

Some other stuff…

Former Sea Dogs captain Alex Grant had two goals, three
shots, and a +1 rating as the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins defeated the Syracuse
Crunch 4-2 in the opening game of the AHL’s Eastern Conference Final. Game 2 is
tonight.

The Oklahoma City Barons evened up the AHL Western
Conference Final at 1-1 with a 4-2 win over the Grand Rapids Griffins last
night. Tomas Jurco had two shots for the Griffins.

In less than 24 hours, the PEI Rocket will no longer
exist. Details about the team’s rebranding, new name of the team, image of
the new logo, 2013-14 season ticket campaign, and the latest additions to the
recently announced ownership group (upon final sale of the team) will be released tomorrow at a 10am press conference.

QMJHL winners at last night’s CHL Awards: Dominique
Ducharme (Halifax Mooseheads) was named the Old Dutch Brian Kilrea Coach of the
Year, Valentin Zykov (Baie-Comeau Drakkar) was named the BMO Rookie of the Year,
and Jonathan Drouin (Halifax Mooseheads) was named the CCM Player of the Year.

Galiev and the Reading Royals won the ECHL’s Kelly Cup
last night with a 6-0 victory over the Stockton Thunder. The Royals won the
series 4-1.

For the Royals, the Washington Capiatls ECHL affiliate,
it was their first league title in team history. According to the ECHL website,
“Reading becomes the 17th different team to capture the ECHL title, and are
12th different winner of the Kelly Cup.”

Galiev had a goal, an assist, three shots, and a +1
rating in last night's game. He was playing in his first game of the series and first
game since April 26 due to injury.

Despite missing some time, the Russian forward still put
up solid playoff numbers, recording four goals and seven assists in 10 games.
In 46 regular season games he registered 23 goals and 24 assists in 46 games.

The 21-year old also played in 17 games with the AHL’s Hershey
Bears this season and had one assist. He’ll be looking to stay up with the Bears full time
next season.

This is the third straight season Galiev has won a league
championship following back-to-back Quebec Major Junior Hockey League titles with Saint John.

No current Sea Dog is nominated for an award, but former
Dog Kevin Gagne is up for the Post Defenceman of the Year Award. He was named
the QMJHL Defenceman of the Year a few months ago.

Gagne played four-and-a-half seasons with Saint John
before being traded to the Rimouski Oceanic in December. In 62 games split
between the Sea Dogs and Oceanic, the 21-year old registered 17 goals and 54
assists.

The Anaheim Ducks prospect played in five games with the
AHL’s Norfolk Admirals after the Oceanic were eliminated from the post-season.
He had one assist.

MACAULAY

Stephen MacAulay’s junior hockey career comes to an end
tomorrow night as the Halifax Mooseheads take on the Portland Winterhawks in
the 2013 Memorial Cup Final. Game time is 8pm on Sportsnet.

@smacaulay9 Never a QMJHL player won 3 PRES.CUP after playing 4 LG FINALS, and won 2 MEM.Cup. Jacques JR Locas won only 1 MemCp #MakeHistory
— Denis Demers (@lhjmq_hdd8) May 23, 2013

Thursday, May 23, 2013

The Colorado Avalanche Hockey Club announced today that
the organization has reached an agreement in principle with Patrick Roy to
become the franchise’s Head Coach/Vice President of Hockey Operations. Due to
the Memorial Day weekend, the Avalanche will hold a press conference next week
in Denver to formally introduce Roy.

Roy, 47, becomes the sixth head coach in Avalanche
history and the 14th in franchise history. In addition to his head coaching
duties, Roy will also work with Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations
Joe Sakic in all player personnel decisions.

Roy provided unlimited amounts of entertainment - and wrote quite a few cheques as well - during his time with the Quebec Remparts. It just won’t be the same watching the Remparts without him
standing behind the bench and whistling for line changes.

Per the Avs website, “he guided the Remparts to a
348-196-0 record (.640) in 544 regular season games behind the bench” over
eight seasons. Despite all the regular season success, the 2006 Memorial Cup is
the only championship the Remparts won in the Roy coaching era.

Roy never guided the team to a QMJHL title and they only appeared
in the league final once (2006) and the semi-finals three times (2006, 2009, and 2011). They
also blew a 3-0 series lead in the second-round of the 2012 playoffs to the
Halifax Mooseheads.

It’ll be interesting to see how Roy at the NHL level. He’ll
no doubt provide some entertainment.

It’ll also be interesting to see who Roy brings in as
assistants. Will he dip into the QMJHL?

As the Memorial Cup has unfolded, fans have seen flashes
of brilliance – some more sustained than others – from the potential top two
picks in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft.

Portland Winterhawks defenceman Seth Jones and Halifax
Mooseheads forward Nathan MacKinnon have had very solid showings thus far with
MacKinnon and the Mooseheads coming out on top in the round-robin meeting
between the two.

The Colorado Avalanche are no doubt watching the pair
closely as they hold the top pick and many believe Jones to have the inside
track. When you have the first overall pick, you’re looking for the face of a
franchise, a transcendent talent, a player who will be the cornerstone of a championship
team.

With this in mind, drafting a defenceman first overall is
a very risky proposition. This has nothing to do with Jones, but rather the
historical impact blue-liners selected first overall have had on the game.

The first indication of how risky picking a rearguard
first overall can be is how seldom it happens. A defenceman has been taken with
the top slot just six times since 1980 and there’s not one sure fire Hall of
Famer among them. Here’s the list:

The second factor pointing toward taking MacKinnon over
Jones is impact. Struggling teams – namely the ones that pick high in the
drafts – need immediate help. Forwards tend to make an impact sooner in the
NHL. For instance, there were two forwards selected in the top 10 of the 2012
draft. Coincidentally, those two players – Nail Yakupov of the Edmonton Oilers
and Alex Galchenyuk of the Montreal Canadiens – were the only ones to play in
any NHL games.

A third reason is when there’s some debate about whether
or not to pick a forward or blue-liner at the top, recent history favours the
forward. In 2009, the New York Islanders selected John Tavares over Victor
Hedman who went second overall to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Tavares is a Hart
trophy finalist this season while Hedman is still trying to find his game in
Tampa.

Alex Grant and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins made
some history on Wednesday night.

The Penguins advanced to the American Hockey League’s Eastern
Conference Final with a 5-0 Game 7 victory over the Providence Bruins.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton lost the first three games of the second-round series but
won the next four, becoming the third team in the 77-year history of the AHL to
come back from a 3-0 series deficit and win.

The Pens will play the Syracuse Crunch in the in the
Eastern Conference Final. In the West, Tomas Jurco and the Grand Rapids
Griffins will take on the Oklahoma City Barons. The winners advance to the
Calder Cup Final.

The Penguins finished fifth in the AHL’s Eastern
Conference with a 42-30-2-2 record. The Bruins had the AHL’s best regular
season record at 50-21-0-5.

Grant was a +1 with two penalty minutes in this game.
Providence defenseman and former Sea Dog David MacDonald was a -1 with two
penalty minutes.

Elsewhere on Wednesday night…

The Halifax Mooseheads will play in the MasterCard
Memorial Cup Final on Sunday, meaning that the national championship game will
feature a QMJHL team for a third straight year. The Moose advanced straight to
the final thanks to a 4-2 Portland Winterhawks win over the Saskatoon Blades. The
Blades will now play the London Knights in tomorrow’s tie-breaker with the
winner moving on to play in Friday’s semi-final against the Winterhawks.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

The Halifax Mooseheads steamrolled the London Knights on
Tuesday night at the Memorial Cup.

Halifax scored five times in the first period en route to
a 9-2 victory over the Ontario Hockey League Champions. It was a fabulous
bounce back game by the Moose who were coming off a disappointing 5-2 loss to
the Saskatoon Blades on Sunday.

With the win, Halifax can advance straight to Sunday’s
championship game with a Portland Winterhawks win on Wednesday night. If
Portland loses, the Moose would have to play in Saturday’s semi-final game.

London’s loss means the Knights will have to take the
long route if they want to make it back to the final. London will play the
loser of Wednesday’s Portland/Saskatoon contest in Thursday’s tie-breaker game.

Martin Frk had a hat trick for the Moose on Tuesday night
while Darcy Ashley had two goals. Singles came from Ryan Falkenham, Luca
Ciampini, Stefan Fournier, and Brent Andrews. Nathan MacKinnon and Jonathan
Drouin each had three assists. Zach Fucale made 26 saves in the win.

Former Sea Dog Stephen MacAulay had one assist, two
penalty minutes, and a +1 rating.

Other Tuesday night notes…

Tomas Jurco and the Grand Rapids Griffins advanced to the
AHL Western Conference Final. They defeated the Toronto Marlies 4-3 to
win the series in six games. Jurco was a -1 with four shots in the game. They’ll
play the Oklahoma City Barons in the next round, a series that begins on Friday
night.

Wednesday night, Alex Grant and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Penguins face David MacDonald and the Providence Bruins in Game 7 of their
second-round series. The winner takes on the Syracuse Crunch in the Eastern
Conference Final.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Every team at the 2013 Memorial Cup sits at 1-1 entering
action tonight. This evening, the Halifax Mooseheads battle the London Knights
at 9pm and tomorrow the Portland Winterhawks take on the Saskatoon Blades.

Playing in his third straight Memorial Cup, MacAulay has
two goals and two assists in 10 career games at the national championship.
Despite all the success he has had at the junior level, he currently is not
affiliated with a NHL club.

“In my mind I think I deserve a shot, hopefully an
entry-level deal but if not, maybe something else,” MacAulay told the Chronicle Herald. “I think I’ve done everything I could do but one last Memorial Cup
won’t hurt, especially if I play well and do well personally. I’m thankful for
the opportunity.”

THE STATION

Forget to post this the other day so... here it is.

Stefan Fournier says the CUC looks an awful lot like Harbour Station in Saint John, N.B.
— Patrick King (@SNPatrickKing) May 17, 2013

Sunday, May 19, 2013

The 2013 Memorial Cup tournament just got a whole lot
more interesting.

After having a decent game against the London Knights on
Friday night, the host Saskatoon Blades defeated the No. 1 ranked team in the
Canadian Hockey League, the Halifax Mooseheads, by score of 5-2 on Sunday night.

The Blades were swept in the first-round of the Western
Hockey League playoffs and the franchise had basically forgotten how to win a
playoff game until tonight.

Pretty much everyone had written off the Blades heading
into the tournament. But after tonight’s display, this tournament just got a
whole lot more fun.

Thanks to two quick goals in the third period, Saskatoon
led 4-0 before the Mooseheads could finally get things going. Stephen MacAulay
and Nathan MacKinnon quickly scored, making it a 4-2 contest. But despite some
good pressure being applied by Halifax in the final minutes of the game, former
Lewiston Maineiacs goaltender Andrey Makarov protected the lead. The Blades
added an empty net goal with two seconds left which was a apparently a signal for
everyone to throw their clappers and a single chair onto the ice (pictured above).

Halifax just could not get things rolling like they did
on Saturday against Portland. It’ll be interesting to see how a team that has
not faced much adversity all year deals with this kind of loss at the Memorial
Cup.

Tomorrow, the Portland Winterhawks take on the London
Knights. It Portland wins, every team at the tournament would be 1-1.

Elsewhere on Sunday…

Unfortunately, the Summerside Western Capitals fell short
in the RBC Cup final as they lost 3-1 to the Brooks Bandits on Sunday
afternoon. None of the former Sea Dogs who play for the Capitals recorded a point in the game. A tournament record crowd 4,211 watched the game at Credit
Union Place in Summerside.

Nathan MacKinnon went into beast mode, recording a hat
trick and adding an assist with a +4 rating. Jonathan Drouin, Luca Ciampini, Martin
Frk, and former Sea Dog Stephen MacAulay also scored. Zach Fucale made 37 saves
in the victory.

Troy Rutkowski had two goals for Portland while singles
came from Seth Jones and Ty Rattie. Goaltender Mac Carruth was not good in this
one, allowing seven goals on 35 shots.

This was a great game with plenty of momentum swings. It
looked like the Winterhawks might go on to win the game in the second period as they led
3-1 early. But entering the third, it was Halifax in front by score of 6-3
thanks to a five-goal middle frame.

All eyes were on Jones, MacKinnon, and Drouin in this game. Jones wasn’t bad and Drouin was Drouin, but MacKinnon really stepped
things up.

The Summerside Western Capitals will play in the RBC Cup
final. The Caps advanced to the national championship game with a 3-2 overtime win over the Surrey Eagles. Former Sea Dog Danny Chiasson had a goal
for Summerside. The Capitals will play the Brooks Bandits on Sunday night at
7pm in PEI.

Alex Grant and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
defeated the Providence Bruins 4-0. Grant had one shot and 12 penalty minutes. Former Sea Dogs captain David MacDonald had three shots and a fight for Providence. The Bruins now lead that AHL second-round playoff series 3-2.

Tomas Jurco had an assist and three shots in the Grand
Rapids Griffins’ 4-1 loss to the Toronto Marlies. The Griffins lead that series
3-2.

Friday, May 17, 2013

The Summerside Western Capitals can book a trip to the
RBC Cup Championship game with a win over the Surrey Eagles in Saturday’s
semi-final.

The host Caps, 2-2 in the tournament, face the Eagles,
3-1, on Saturday night in Summerside. The other semi-final features
the Minnesota Wilderness and Brooks Bandits. The winners of those games will face
each other for a national championship on Sunday.

The only team to be eliminated from the tournament so far
is the Truro Bearcats. The Fred Page Cup Champions featured three former Sea
Dogs – Grant West, Dylan McGuigan, and David Mosher.

Meanwhile, the Capitals feature three former Dogs as well
in Spencer MacDonald, Jason Seed, and Danny Chiasson. Seed has four assists and
MacDonald one. Chiasson has three goals and four assists in four games, good for fourth in the tournament point race.

Elsewhere…

In the AHL, Tomas Jurco and the Grand Rapids Griffins
grabbed a 3-1 series lead over the Toronto Marlies with a 4-1 win on Friday night. Jurco had a goal, and assist, five shots, and a +1 rating in the
victory. Game 5 is Saturday night.

Alex Grant and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins avoided elimination with a 3-1 win over the Providence Bruins on Friday. The Bruins
lead the series 3-1. Grant was a -1 with one shot and two penalty minutes. Game
5 is Saturday.

Stephen MacAulay and the Halifax Mooseheads begin their
Memorial Cup schedule Saturday night at 8pm against the Portland Winterhawks.
Watch it on Sportsnet.

It was two years ago last night that the Sea Dogs won their
first President Cup. Alexandre Beauregard scored at 15:45 of double-overtime to
give the Dogs a 3-2 victory and 4-2 series win over the Gatineau Olympiques.

In one of the greatest Sea Dogs games ever played, Saint
John was down 2-1 late in the third. But at 19:37 and Jacob
DeSerres on the bench, a great pass from Stanislav Galiev found Jonathan Huberdeau
who tied the match up to send it into OT.

“How can a guy who’s played in each of the last four President’s
Cup finals be a sleeper,” writes Cosentino. “Easy, he plays with two of the top
three draft eligible players in Jonathan Drouin and Nathan MacKinnon. MacAulay
is as dependable as they come. He’s played in two MasterCard Memorial Cups so
he won’t be rattled by the big stage. He’s versatile as a winger or centre, and
he’s capable of being a difference maker on special teams.”

Halifax plays their first game of the tournament on
Saturday night against the Portland Winterhawks. The host Saskatoon Blades face
the London Knights in the opener on Friday.

“Six months ago Jurco wasn't close to being ready for an
NHL call up, but after seeing his impressive progress this season, I wouldn't
be surprised if he's near, or at the top of, the call up list for next year,”
they write.

The former Sea Dogs forward had 14 goals and 14 assists
in 74 AHL games with the Grand Rapids Griffins this season. He also has three
goals and two assists in eight playoff games.

The Griffins are up 2-1 in their Western Conference
playoff series against the Toronto Marlies thanks to a 5-4 win last night.
Jurco had three shots in the game.

Speaking of Jurco, here is the latest Griffins video featuring the Slovak.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Every Friday at 6pm this summer, myself and Sea Dogs
communications manager Rob Williams will be hosting a sports talk show on Local
107.3 FM. 3rd Line Grind, a radio program that may or may not change
radio forever (it probably won’t), begins this Friday.

The show is an hour in length and will mostly be hockey
talk. Friday’s show topics include:

Figuring out how to do a radio show

Recapping Sea Dogs playoff run and QMJHL post-season

‘The Brawl near Montreal’

Previewing the Memorial Cup

Other stuff… probably

So beginning this Friday at 6pm, please tune in to Local
107.3 FM in the Saint John area, listen live online at localfm.ca, or check us out on Rogers channel 949 and Aliant 824.

SAINT JOHN - If you haven’t noticed, the Sea Dogs championship
billboards have been taken down and replaced with new ones (like the one
pictured above) which shows Saint John has a vibrant Uptown or something.

SN’s Tim Lumsden has been emailing back and forth with
city hall people about the change. The signs, which we are told are not owned by the city, were apparently replaced because they
were old and dated which, to be honest, is kind of true. It would still be nice
to have something to commemorate the championship(s) in the city other than
those street lamp banners on Station St. [EDIT: most of the street banners have disappeared around HS and the LBR]

The 2011 Memorial Cup Champion billboards were up for a
couple years.

A large “2012 President Cup Champions” sticker was added to them
last year.

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Florida Panthers Executive VP/General Manager Dale Tallon
announced that F Jonathan Huberdeau underwent a successful hip procedure today
in Nashville. Huberdeau is expected to make a full recovery and be ready for
the start of 2013 training camp in September.

Hey Fans , surgery went well today
! Thanks for the support , and I will be back after a great
rehab
— Jonathan Huberdeau (@JonnyHuby11) May
15, 2013

Despite the ailment, Huberdeau still had a solid rookie
campaign in the NHL and is a finalist for the Calder Trophy. The injury may
explain why his production dipped near the end of the lockout shortened season.

With the Panthers missing the playoffs, this will be the
longest off-season the 19-year old has had in a few seasons.

*Above image is of the Panthers new scoreboard, featuring Huberdeau and a riveting Panthers-Senators game.

The London Knights were the final team to book their
ticket. Last night, Bo Horvat scored with 0.1 seconds remaining in regulation to give the
Knights a 3-2 victory over the Barrie Colts in Game 7 and their second straight
Ontario Hockey League Championship.

London is the only team returning from last year’s
tournament that also featured Saint John, Shawinigan, and Edmonton. The Oil
Kings made it to the Western Hockey League final but could not repeat.

The Knights are joined by the host Saskatoon Blades, WHL
Champion Portland Winterhawks, and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Champion Halifax
Mooseheads.

The tournament begins on Friday with the Blades taking on
the Knights. The Mooseheads play their first game on Saturday as Nathan
MacKinnon and Jonathan Drouin take on Seth Jones and the Winterhawks.

As always, every game of the tournament will be broadcast
on Sportsnet.

It was also announced today that London will host the
2014 Memorial Cup, meaning the Knights will play in the tournament for three
straight years. London hosted previously in 2005.

Alex Grant and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are
down 2-0 in their second-round Calder Cup Playoff series against the Providence
Bruins following a 4-2 loss tonight. Grant had two shots.

Tomas Jurco opened the scoring for the Grand Rapids
Griffins tonight but fell 4-2 to the Toronto Marlies. That series is now tied
1-1. According to the AHL website, Jurco also had eight shots (!), two penalty
minutes, and a +1 rating.

In the ECHL, the Reading Royals advanced to the Kelly Cup
Final with a 3-1 victory over the Cincinnati Cyclones. The Royals won the
series in five games. Former Sea Dogs defensemen Charles-Olivier Roussel and
David MacDonald each had two shots as their seasons came to an end.

Saturday, May 11, 2013

If you somehow haven’t heard, the Halifax Mooseheads won
their first President Cup last night at the Metro Centre.

The team has a few Sea Dogs connections. Forward Stephen
MacAulay won his third President Cup last night after winning it in 2011 and
2012 with Saint John. Moose assistant coach Jim Midgley was one of Jacques
Beaulieu’s assistants back in the day. And Bob (Tipper) Leblanc, Halifax’s
assistant general manager, is a former Sea Dogs general manager.

Halifax begins the Memorial Cup tournament next Saturday
in Saskatoon. They will play either the Portland Winterhawks or the Edmonton
Oil Kings.

GAME DAY

Via the Twitter, some significant news regarding the Sea
Dogs game day experience.

It's official, I have stepped down
from the 'Game Host' position at the Sea Dogs games, the last 3 seasons were
great; glad to be part of it
— Kyle Ferguson (@kjferg87)
May
11, 2013

Ferguson will continue to be manager of corporate sales
for the Sea Dogs. He’s had the game day host gig for the past few seasons so it’ll
certainly be a change not hearing him at Harbour Station.

So… who replaces him?

McHAPPY DAY

The Sea Dogs took part in McHappy Day once again this
year. According to the Sea Dogs website, “president Wayne Long, along with
Manager of Sales and Sponsorship Kyle Ferguson and Sea Dogs Foundation Chair
Jane Forestell, flipped some burgers and sold some fries (Wednesday) in support
of McHappy Day 2013.”

“We always look forward to participating in McHappy Days
every year,” said Long. “McDonalds is a great community partner and a great
sponsor of ours and we are thrilled to be involved.”

Friday, May 10, 2013

The 20-year old forward won his third straight President
Cup title on Friday night as he helped the Halifax Mooseheads defeat the
Baie-Comeau Drakkar 5-1 at a sold out Metro Centre. The Moose won the series 4-1 and went 16-1 in the
post-season en route to their first Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
Championship.

MacAulay was a big part of tonight’s victory, scoring two
goals to go along with three shots and two hits. The former Saint John Sea Dog opened
the scoring at 5:32 of the first and ended it at 18:41 of the third with an
empty netter.

Tonight was MacAulay’s 75th and final QMJHL
playoff game. He helped the Sea Dogs reach the President Cup final each of the
past three seasons and won the trophy in 2011 and 2012. It’s been quite a junior career for him to say the least - and it's not over yet.

Nathan MacKinnon, Jonathan Drouin, and Stefan Fournier also
scored tonight for Halifax while Valentin Zykov – who else – scored the lone
Baie-Comeau goal. Zach Fucale made 34 saves in the win while Philippe Cadorette
made 24 in the loss.

Drouin, who had 12 goals and 23 assists in 17 post-season
games, was named playoff MVP. Saint John’s Charlie Coyle, who spent much of
this season in the NHL, won the award last year.

It’s also worth noting of course that this is the fourth
straight year a Maritime based team has won the President Cup after Moncton in 2010
and Saint John in 2011 and 2012. The Mooseheads are the first Maritime based
team not in New Brunswick to win.

So, Halifax is now Memorial Cup bound. Their first game
will be on Saturday, May 18 against the WHL Champion.

One year ago tonight in Rimouski, the Saint John Sea Dogs
completed a sweep of the Oceanic to win their second straight President Cup
title.

Stanislav Galiev had three goals and two assists in Saint John’s 8-0 victory. Tomas Jurco had two goals and three assists while Zack
Phillips, Jonathan Huberdeau, and Danick Gauthier had solo markers. Mathieu
Corbeil made 24 saves for the shutout victory.

The win topped off a 16-1 playoff run for the Sea Dogs.
Their season would end in the Memorial Cup semi-final.

Looking at the lineup, only four players - Ian Saab,
Pierre Durepos, Maxime Villemaire, and Jason Cameron - played in that game and
ended the 2012-13 season with the Dogs (also Sebastien Auger who was backup in this game).

In Montreal, Gerard Gallant’s first season as assistant
coach of the Canadiens came to an end with a 6-1 loss. The Ottawa Senators won
the first-round series 4-1.

It was a good season for Gallant and the Habs though as
they finished the regular season with the second best record in the Eastern
Conference.

Former Sea Dogs goaltender Robert Mayer (pictured) was
Montreal’s backup goaltender for this game with Carey Price hurt and Peter
Budaj getting the start. Mayer, once again, did not see any game action.

In Pittsburgh, Simon Despres and the Penguins now lead
their first-round series against the New York Islanders 3-2 thanks to a 4-0 victory tonight. Game 6 of that series is on Saturday.

Despres finished the game with a +1 rating, one hit, and
two blocked shots in 14:10 of ice time. It was the second game he has played in
in this series.

Carey Price broke himself in the late stages of Game 4
and will miss the remainder of the series. Peter Budaj will get the start in
tonight’s Game 5 while Mayer will be his backup. Ottawa leads the series 3-1 entering tonight’s match at the Bell Centre.

Mayer has been Habs backup before but has yet to play in
a NHL game. He spent this season in the American Hockey League with the
Hamilton Bulldogs where he recorded a 16-17-3 record to go with a 2.93 goals
against average and a 0.908 save percentage.

Mayer, 23, played two seasons with Saint John from
2007-2009.

Other playoff action tonight has Charlie Coyle and the Minnesota
Wild trying to avoid elimination. The Chicago Blackhawks lead that series 3-1.

The Pittsburgh Penguins will try to recover from their
Game 4 debacle tonight against the New York Islanders. That series is tied 2-2
and has been awesome to watch. Simon Despres may or may not be playing.

The Halifax Mooseheads are a win away from winning their
first President Cup title.

The Mooseheads grabbed a 3-1 lead in the Quebec Major
Junior Hockey League championship series on Wednesday night with a 7-4 victory
over the Baie-Comeau Drakkar. Halifax lost Game 3, 3-1, on Tuesday night, their
first loss of the post-season.

The Drakkar led 2-0 early in the second but Halifax would
respond with six goals in the frame to lead 6-3 heading into the third. The
final stanza featured some rough stuff as you’d expect because the Drakkar are
the Drakkar. Basically every Moose fan with internet access is calling
Baie-Comeau “classless.”

Halifax’s big guns came to life on Wednesday with
Jonathan Drouin recording a goal and three assists, Nathan MacKinnon a goal and
an assist, and Martin Frk two goals and three assists. Trey Lewis, Andrew Ryan,
and Konrad Abeltshauser also had goals. Zach Fucale made 39 saves in the win.

Former Sea Dog Stephen MacAulay had two assists, one
shot, two penalty minutes, a +1 rating, one hit, and went 1/7 in faceoffs. The
20-year old now has six goals and 12 assists in 15 playoff games.

Stephen Macaulay has been
trremendous in this game, playing with desire, intelligence and supporting
defensemen at all times.
— Simon Larouche (@simon_larouche)
May
9, 2013

So the Mooseheads now have a chance to win the Cup on
home ice on Friday night and book a trip to Saskatoon. Should be a good one.

Elsewhere on Wednesday night…

In the ECHL, the Cincinnati Cyclones defeated the Reading
Royals 3-2 in overtime. The Royals lead the Eastern Conference Final 2-1.
Former Sea Dogs defensemen Charles-Olivier Roussel and David MacDonald were
held pointless for the Cyclones. Stanislav Galiev did not play for the Royals.

In the OHL, the Barrie Colts now lead the OHL Final, 3-1, thanks to a 6-4, Game 4 win tonight. Game 5 is on Friday in London and can be
seen on Sportsnet.

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Entry Draft will be
held one month from today in Chicoutimi.

Saint John currently has two first-round picks, including
the third overall selection. They’ll also be selecting six times in the first
four rounds. Via the French boards, here are all of the Sea Dogs’ picks.

According to CTV, the page had “an unapproved post
exploiting two girls and former members of the team.” Obviously the changes
have since been deleted.

“It’s obviously something that anybody can go on there,
anybody can post really anything they want and we have zero control over that,”
said Sea Dogs president Wayne Long. “It’s one of the prices we pay for being in
the public and having the public scrutinize and look at you. We’re obviously
disappointed, but again, our organization had nothing to do with it.”

“Possessing a large frame, smooth skating, and strong
puck-moving ability, Despres projects as a defenseman who can be used in all
situations, and should be able to also chip in offensively,” writes Ian
Altenbaugh. “He is a very instinctive player defensively and seems to be able
to fill whatever role asked of him.”

This season, Despres played 27 games with the American Hockey League’s
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins where he recorded four goals and three assists.
In 33 games with the NHL’s Penguins he registered two goals and five assists.
He has appeared in just one playoff game this year.